Signaling system



Nov. 11, 1930. c. w. NESSELL SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 3. 1927 -Inusrz L'JI Ilarancs MNEEEEZZ Patented Nov. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE CLARENCE W. N ESSELL, OE FOREST PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T RESERVE HOLDING COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A-CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SIGNALING SYSTEM I Application filed August 3, 1927. Serial No. 210,221.

invention relates in general to signaling systems and more specifically to a signaling system designed especially. as a means of communication between the ushers in a theatre or other large auditorium. The

system is especially useful in a moving picture house where no seats are reserved and where it is necessary for the door manor head usher to be advised of the number of vacant seats available in various parts of the house, so that the crowd 'can be efficiently" handled and routed as qui'dkly as possible to the vacant seats.

Certain usher signaling systems are now in use in the larger theatres using a push button system which has been found to be -very costly to install and requires a large number of wires and a large amount of equipment.

In an installation oi this type it is necessary to provide a sending station in each part of the house from which reports are to be made and to' provide, on the main floor, for the door man or head usher, a set of lamps or indicating devices for each sending station to receive and indicate the signals sent from its associated sending station.

Among the objects of my invention are, therefore, to provide an'improved usher signaling system which is cheaper and easier to install and maintain; which is controlled andoperated in a new manner by means of calling devices and step by stepswitching' devices; and to provide means for transferring indications fro'm'one set of indicating devices to another depending upon the number of digits in the number transmitted from the sending station.- 1

Qther features and objects of my invention 40 will be apparent from the following detailed description and claims.

Referring to theaccompanying drawing, the apparatus shownat A represents oneof the sending stations which would be located in some remote section of the theatre. This apparatus includes a lamp L, a release key K, and a call sending device or impulse transmitter S which is used to send or transmit series of impulses corresponding to a number of one or more digits. The calling device S is shown only diagrammatically in the drawing and may be of any desired type such as is used in automatic telephony to transmit the digits of a wanted telephone number. A calling device of one type is shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,279,352, issued September 17, 1918 to A. E.

Keith, although it should be understood that any desired type of device may be used.

The calling device consists of a finger hole dial with ten holes numbered 1 to 0 and a mechanism operated by the finger hole dial to interrupt a circuit through a pair of impulse springs a number of times depending upon the hole used in rotating the dial. The operator inserts a finger intoa hole of the dial corresponding to the digit which he desires to transmit and rotates it around to a stop. The dial is returned by means of a spring and on its return transmits impulses corresponding to the digit. There are also certain of? normal springs operated when the dial is first operated and which are held closed until it returns to normal.

At B is shown the apparatus located preferably on the main floor of the theatre and consisting of a bank of lamps and a release key K. In a two digit systemthere would be two banks of lamps, or two strips, one for units and one for tens digits and each strip numbered from 1 to 0. There may be more than two banks of lamps if desired to transmit numbers of more than two digits. At C is shown the mechanical equipment which may be mounted in any out of the way place and which consists of two double wiper rotary switch mechanisms MS and MS each having operating and release mag- .nets together with a relay for controlling I 'wires are required to each sending station and for a two digit system there will be twenty one wires to each bank of ind cating lamps.

I will now describe the operatlons 1n detail by referring to the drawing. When an usher captain whose station is shown at A desires to inform the head usher that he has a number of vacant seats in his section of thehouse he operates his calling device S infaccordance with the first digit of the number.

( When the dial associated 'with S is first rotated, the springs 2, 3 and 4 come into engagement and a circuit is closed from ground.

through spring-s 2 and 3 over conductor-5, through relay 6', conductor 7, and 011' normal springs8 and 9 to battery. Relay 6 operates and locks to battery through. ts own springs '10. Relay 6 opens a point in the circuit of relay 12 at springs 13 and closes a circuit for the motor magnet 14 at springs 11. The circuit of magnet 14 extends from round through springs 2, 3 and 4 throu the impulse springs 15' of the device conductor 16, springs 11, magnet 14,

and springs 8 and 9 to battery. The magnet 14 is designed to step the wipers 17 and 18 one step each time it pulls up or energizes. A mechanism of this type is shown and described in Automatic Telephony by Smith and Campbell, second edition on page 94 and is well known.

When the above circuit for magnet 14 is closed the magnet energizes and the'wipers 17 and. 18 take one preliminary step without engaging any of the bank contacts. Now as the dial returns to normal a number of impulses'(assumed to be two in this instance) are transmitted through magnet 14 and wipers 17 and 18 are stepped or rotated into engagement with the second contacts in their respective banks. The wiper 17 is now connected to lamp L in the tens row and. the wiper I8 is connected to the'second lamp L in the 'units row. As the wipers 17 and 18 take their preliminary step the springs 8 and 9 are opened and spring 9 engages springs 19 and 20. The magnet 14 still receives battery o'ver conductor 7 through springs 10 of relay 6. The engagement of springs 9 and 19 causes the lamp I; at the sending station to glow to indicate that a callis set up from that station, and the engagementof springs 9, 19 and 20 applies battery to relay 12.

As this is the first digit. sent in from station A it is not yet determined-whether the usher desires to send a one or two 'digit numher, as there may be only two vacant seats or twenty. It will be seen that only the units lamp L is lighted at this time and its circuit is traced from ground through L, conductor 21, contact 22, wiper 18, conductor 23, spring 24 and its back contact, to battery. The wiper 17 is not connected to battery at this time and therefore lamp L does not glow When the calling device returns to normal the springs 2, 3 and 4 are separated and the circuit of relay 6 is opened. Relay 6 falls back, opens the circuit of magnet 14 and prepares the circuit of relay 12 at springs 13.

Should the usher at station A now continue and send in another digit (assumed in this case to be 1) then the closure'of springs 2, 3 and 4 will in this case close a circuit for relay 12 from ground through springs 2-and 3, conductor 5, springs 13, and relay 12 to battery Y through springs 20, 19 and 9. Relay 6 will not be energized at this timedue to its circuit'bein'g opened at springs 8 and 9.' As soon as relay l2'energizes, the battery connection to wiper 18 is opened and battery is fed through spring- 24 and its front contact to wiper 17 to light the lamp L and extinguish lamp L. Relay 12 also closes a circuit for'motor magnet 25 which controls the rotary switchv having wipers 26 and 27. This preliminary energization of magnet 25 causes wipers 26 and 27 to take a preliminary step without engaging the contacts in their banks and as soon as the springs 15 are opened once,

to send the digit 1, the wipers 26 and 27 are stepped onto the first contacts in their respective banks. The wiper 27 merely closes a locking circuit for the relay'12 independent of the device S. Wiper 26 closes a circuit through the first contact of its bank to the first lamp in the units strip L Thus the tens lamp L and the units lamp L are lighted to set up the numeral 21 before the head usher to indicate that there are twenty-one vacant seats available at the section controlled by usher A. As soon as the device S returns to normal after the transmission of the second digit the circuit of magnet 25 is switch mechanism and restoresits wipers to normal pos'1t10n. The restoration of wipers 17,18", and 260 ens all circuits of the lamps at station B an the wiper 27 opens the locking'cir'cuit of relay 12 which restores to normal. When thewipers 17 and 18 restore to normal the spring 9 disengages springs 19 and 20 anda'gain engages with spring 8.

The apparatus is now at normal and in readiness to receive another indication from the station A.

It will be seen, thereforegthat I have pro-- vided'a very eificient and simple form of signaling system, which is adapted for vanyous uses and which is a distinct advance in the art over the system now in use. Also the system of permitting the display of numbers of either-one or more digits is thought to'be new,vthat is, a digit may be sent in, recorded or set upon the units lamps or indicatoi's and then transferred to the tens lamps if a number of two or more digits, is required.

Having fully described and ascertained the features and aspects of my invention, what I consider to be new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent will be set out in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

'1. In a signaling system, a plurality of rows of indlcating devices, onerow representing the units digit of a number and the other row representing the tensdigit of a number, an impulse sender for transmitting series of impulses corresponding to digits of any desired number, a series of step by step switches one for each digit, means where- -by one switch responds to the first series of impulses transmitted to light a lamp in the units row and prepare "a circuit for the corresponding lamp in the tens row, means whereby another switch responds to the second series of impulses to light another lamp in the units row, and means operated on the sending of the second series of impulses to extinguish the first lighted lamp in the units row and complete the prepared circuit of the corresponding lamp in the tens row.

2. In a signaling s'ystem, a plurality of rows of lamps one for each digit of a number, an impulse sender for transmitting series of impulses corresponding to the digits of a number successively, means responsive tozthe transmission of a single sericsof impulses to indicate the corresponding digit on the units row of lamps, means responsive to the transmission of a second series of impulses to transfer the first-recorded digit to thetens row of lamps and means also responsive to the transmission of the'second impulse series for indicating the seconddigiton the units row of lamps.

rows of lamps, one for each digit, a series .3. In a signaling system, a number indicating device consisting of a plurality of of stepby step switches one for each row of lamps, one switch having access to all the lamps of the ,units row only, and another switch having access to all the lamps of the units and tens rows of lamps,and means for controlling said switches to'light a lamp in the units row to indicate a single digit number, to transfer said single digit to the tens row, and to light another. lamp in the units I row to indicate a two-digit number.

4. In'a number indicating system, a plurality of rows of. lamps one for each digit I of a number, means including a step by step 

